Love Remains The Same
by HogwartsHeadGirl1
Summary: A story of what happens to change Draco's mind about killing Dumbledore and all of the consequences to come after that night. "How did that one act lead to all of this?" Draco thought as he stood in the pouring rain. Dramione. Plz READ and REVIEW
1. Love Remains The Same

"**A thousand times I've seen you standing **

**Gravity like lunar landing **

**You make me want to run till I find you **

**I shut the world away from here **

**Drift to you, you're all I hear **

**As everything we know fades to black **

**Half the time the world is ending **

**Truth is I am done pretending **

**I, never thought that I **

**Had anymore to give **

**You're pushing me so far **

**Here I am without you **

**Drink, to all that we have lost **

**Mistakes we have made **

**Everything will change **

**But love remains the same **

**Find a place where we escape **

**Take you with me for a space **

**The city bus sounds just like a fridge **

**I walk the streets through seven bars **

**I have to find just where you are **

**The faces seem to blur**

**They're all the same **

**Half the time the world is ending **

**Truth is I am done pretending **

**I, never thought that I **

**Had anymore to give **

**You're pushing me so far **

**Here I am without you **

**Drink, to all that we have lost **

**Mistakes we have made **

**Everything will change **

**But, love remains the same **

**So much more to say **

**So much to be done **

**Don't you trick me now **

**We shall overcome **

**So all that's left is to pray **

**We should have had the sun **

**We could have been inside **

**Instead we're over here **

**Half the time the world is ending **

**Truth is I am done pretending **

**Too much time too long defending **

**You and I are done pretending **

**I, never thought that I **

**Had anymore to give **

**You're pushing me so far **

**Here I am without you **

**Drink, to all that we have lost **

**Mistakes we have made **

**Everything will change **

**Everything will change **

**I, oh I, **

**I wish this could last forever **

**I, oh I, **

**as if we could last forever **

**Love remains the same **

**Love remains the same"**

**Gavin Rossdale**


	2. Rainy Night in London

_I walk the streets through seven bars _

_I have to find just where you are _

_The faces seem to blur_

_They're all the same _

_Half the time the world is ending _

_Truth is I am done pretending _

Draco Malfoy quickened his pace in the pouring rain. He was feeling frantic, "I have to find her" he thought to himself "I can't lose this, not now, not after everything that's

happened.". He stopped short as he started to pass by her favorite muggle pub. It was near her flat and he thought he should go in just to make sure she wasn't in there.

Draco stepped in and looked around, it was fairly empty, seeing as how it was a Tuesday evening, there was no sight of her. He stepped back out into the rain and resumed

his search, stopping in any place that was open that he thought she might be.

Then he had an idea, "Of course!" he thought, "She's got to be there, her friends that are in town are all staying there…she must have gone to see them."

Draco took off at a run towards Charing Cross Road. The storm was rolling in and he saw bolts of lighting streak across the sky but it didn't faze him. He had to get there.

When he finally reached his destination, he walked in shaking the water off of him. Hardly anyone glance up as he started to speak. "Has anyone seen Hermione

Granger?".  
Draco looked around to see if she was there while getting no response from the bar patrons. He looked helplessly at Tom the barkeep, who gave him a

grimace in return.

Draco's shoulders slumped and he looked dejected as he walked out of the Leaky Cauldron and let the rain wash over him.

He couldn't believe he could hurt this much and as he felt the pain in his heart, he sunk to his knees on the pavement and got lost in a vision of her and how exactly, he had ended up like this...


	3. Hogwarts: A History

_**Alright...well here it goes. The story has started but bear with me for a little while as we go back in time to see how it all begins. I try to stick with the books as much as possible but I have changed some things to suit the story. (Like Hermione healing Draco when Harry curses him in book 6)**_

**_Anyways...I don't own the characters...it's pretty obvious what JKR owns and what ideas come from me_**

**_So now...please read...then REVIEW!_**

* * *

_**6th year**_

Harry, Ron and Hermione were all sitting at the Gryffindor table in the Great Hall for dinner. Their current topic of conversation was Death Eaters and their suspected newest one, Draco Malfoy. There was speculation that he had received the dark mark before returning to Hogwarts for the start of their 6th year.

"If it's true," Hermione thought to herself, "it doesn't suit him very well…he's gotten thinner and paler as the year has gone on…he looks like the walking dead."

Malfoy was seated at the Slytherin table, flanked by Crabbe and Goyle as usual, but he looked as if he were in his own little world. Paying no attention to the idiotic jokes his two "friends" were telling to anyone who would listen. He was thinking about his task at hand, like he had been since it had been assigned to him during the summer. He was set to receive the dark mark after he completed it, and for his entire life his father assured him that the dark mark was the ultimate honor, and Draco had always strived to follow in his fathers footsteps. His father had always had power and all he had heard about as a young boy was that when the Dark Lord returned, the Malfoy family could help him rule the Wizarding World.

Now with this "honor" close at hand, Draco wasn't so sure he wanted it. He knew he didn't want to do what the Dark Lord had asked of him. It wasn't the fact that Draco was particularly fond of Dumbledore…he was just an eccentric old man who, at best was slightly annoying. It was the fact that he was supposed to take someone else's life. After seeing the pain he had caused people and seeing the way his father had so mercilessly killed people, Draco didn't think this was such a great side to be on anymore.

The misgivings Draco had about all of this started the day after he had been given his task. While he and his mother were at Madame Malkin's trying on new robes the bloody Golden Trio walked in with Molly Weasley. The way they walked in laughing and having a good time like some perfect little family made Draco want to be sick…but deep down he wished that he was in their place, laughing with his mother and having a fun afternoon instead of walking on eggshells around his father and worrying about how to complete his assignment.

Draco snapped out of his daze when he felt like he was being watched and as he looked across the Great Hall he saw Hermione quickly avert her eyes. He sneered at her even though she wasn't looking at him anymore, he couldn't help it…it just came natural to him.

Hermione was embarrassed that Draco had caught her looking at him. She had studied him for a few minutes before he noticed her and she could tell that he was not the same Malfoy. He had not been insulting her and her friends at every turn. He hadn't even been as arrogant as she had come to expect. He was quiet in class and never even seemed to notice when Hermione outshone him in Potions. She almost felt sorry for him, wondering if maybe he was just the unfortunate son of Death Eater, not actually one himself.

Hermione didn't know why she cared so much or why she even thought about it at all…but there was something different about Malfoy. Maybe she just had too much time on her hands since she didn't have to think of comebacks for his insults anymore.

* * *

** Then one day**…everything changed. Hermione had been walking with Harry when he went into Moaning Myrtles bathroom. Hermione was waiting outside when she heard Harrys voice shout out a spell she had never heard before.

She rushed in and saw Malfoy on the floor bleeding from several gashes. She pushed past a stunned Harry and muttered to a half-conscious Malfoy that it would be ok and then preceded to try every healing spell she could think of until the bleeding stopped. Once he had stopped bleeding Hermione and Harry hurried Malfoy to the Hospital Wing.

While Malfoy was recovering, he couldn't believe that Granger had been the one to help him. She didn't think twice about who he was and the fact that they had disliked each other for so long. She saw him simply as another human being at that point, one that needed help. He was in awe that there were actually people like that and he now felt as if he owed her.

"Bloody hell, what am I thinking? She is a mudblood, I owe her nothing" he thought aloud, sounding unconvinced.


	4. I Suppose a Thank you is in Order

**Ok...so we are still in a flashback right now, still 6th year. The next few chapters will be all about Hermione and Draco's history so that we can fully understand the situation that arose in chapter one. got it? they will be short chapters but are very important! so anyways thank you for reading and please do review to let me know people _are_ actually reading this. Thanks!**

Harry and Hermione were back in the common room discussing the incident of the evening.

"Harry I told you not to pay any attention to those notes in your potions book!"

"I know Hermione, I just…It's like…I don't know I just feel drawn to it, and I thought that it was safe. I never meant to hurt Malfoy like that…I didn't even realize I was going to throw that curse at him. I don't know why I didn't just disarm him."

Hermione looked at her friend and could see in his eyes how bad he felt. She wrapped him in a hug and told him everything would be ok.

"At least Malfoy is going to be ok…wow I never thought I'd say those words…"Hermione giggled. "Cause if he wasn't then there would be some serious hell to pay."

"Yeah, thanks to you. Who knew I would see the day when you would save the Ferret's life" Harry gave her a grin, while Hermione just rolled her eyes and headed off to bed.

The next morning Hermione walked down to breakfast with Harry and Ron. She was surprised that they weren't getting stared at and whispered about in the halls like usual when something happened involving Harry. She had figured word of what happened would be all around school at this point, but nobody seemed to know of last night's events.

They walked into the Great Hall and Harry nudged Hermione and nodded in the general direction of the Slytherin table. Hermione looked over and immediately knew what Harry was saying. There in his usual spot surrounded by the usual people was Draco Malfoy. He looked a tad more pale than usual (if that was possible) and he looked utterly exhausted, but other than that he appeared to be doing fine. He wasn't doing much talking and seemed to have kept what happened a secret.

Harry whispered down to Hermione

"Why do you suppose he isn't making a big deal of what happened and tell the whole school I tried to kill him?'

"I dunno" Hermione replied, she was, for the first time, completely dumbfounded.

Malfoy noticed Potter walk in and glance his way. To his surprise Potter looked relieved to see him.

"Probably because he doesn't want his hero status ruined by killing a classmate," Draco thought.

He had decided against telling anyone what happened in Moaning Myrtle's bathroom. He just couldn't bring himself to admit that Potter had managed to find him in a weak moment and he definitely couldn't bring himself to tell anyone that _Granger_ had been the one to save his life. At the thought of her he looked over at the Gryffindor table to find her bushy head amongst the students.

He easily found her and watched her grimace as Ron shoveled food in his mouth and tried to talk at the same time and as she gave Harry a reassuring pat on the back. He continued to watch her as she begin talking to Ginny. He couldn't take his eyes off her and it worried him a bit.

"Maybe if I just thank her or something I can get over it and on with my life," he thought, desperate to stop looking at her or thinking about her helping him.

He quickly ate his breakfast and hurried out of the Great Hall.

Hermione had finished with breakfast and went ahead and left for her Arithmancy class. She hardly ever left breakfast with Ron or Harry anymore because they had their free period first thing while she opted to take an extra class instead of have free time, so to keep herself company she usually re-read the chapter they were going over in class that day. She had just turned the corner when she bumped into someone, causing her to drop her textbook.

"Oh!, I'm so sor-" she was apologizing as she bent down to retrieve her book but was cut short when she looked into the eyes of the boy who had just picked up her book.

"Well, if it isn't the bushy-haired member of Potter's fan club" Draco sneered. " You ought to start watching where you're going."

Hermione snatched her book out of Malfoy's hand. She had wanted to know if he was doing ok when she saw him at breakfast this morning, but now she knew he was just fine. She had stalked past him and was continuing her way to class.

"Granger…" he said tentatively

Hermione's eyes narrowed, she knew another insult was about to be hurled her way but she turned to face him anyways.

"I uhh….just um…wantedtothankyou" he mumbled the last part quickly and it took a moment for Hermione to register what she had heard.

Her eyes widened as she stared at the blonde boy in front of her. Taking in the sight of someone that used to be handsome and muscular from quidditch practice, he now looked close to pitiful and she felt a bit sorry for him. He must be dealing with a lot to have become the shell of a person he used to be.

Hermione looked down and shuffled her feet, suddenly uncomfortable with the situation.

"You're welcome" she replied quietly

She looked back up at Draco, who was still looking at her with an unreadable expression. She turned to finally go to class but stopped after only a few steps and turned back to tell Malfoy she was just glad that she was able to heal him (more to rub it in his face that she was great at yet another skill, of course.) but he had already disappeared.

**another chapter finished! now GO REVIEW!! PLEASE?? the more reviews I get the more I am inspired to keep writing and updating frequently!**

let me know what you like, what you dont, etc.!


	5. A New Way of Thnking

**Sooo...a quick update just to keep the story moving to the real reason why you're all reading this...some Dramione action!! woo hoo!**

**We will get there soon!**

Disclaimer: I still don't own any of the characters or anything else of JK Rowling's creation...

"Bushy-haired member of Potter's fan club?!" Draco thought to himself as he walked away from Hermione and down the hall to his History of magic class. "Seriously? I couldn't come up with anything better?" he berated himself.

"Her hair really isn't even all that bushy anymore…I guess she has discovered hair products…wait what the hell do I care? I need to be thinking of better insults…"

But Draco had suddenly found it hard to think of anything derogatory to say towards someone who had just saved his life. He even didn't feel right calling her the usual nicknames that he had called her for the past five years.

His mind wandered to Hermione again during History of Magic and he found himself wondering what it was like to be so damn selfless and heroic. He also wondered if any of his so-called friends would even think to do the same thing. He already knew the answer. They wouldn't save his arse unless it helped them in some way. He felt longing for what Granger had. She knew she could count on Potter and Weasley no matter what. He wanted that.

"Damn it!!" Draco thought ,as he pounded his fist on his desk. Several students turned to stare at him but he shot them all glares that quickly made them look away.

"I thanked the bloody girl, why am I still thinking about her and her insufferable friends?"

A little voice popped into Draco's mind, "Maybe it's because not only do you want people to be there for you, but maybe you want to have someone to be there for. You want real friends. You want a life…your own life, your own friends, not your father's double-crossers and Death Eater's too stupid to think for themselves.

Draco made up his mind right then and there that he was not going to follow through on the Dark Lord's orders. He would make a stand against his father and he would eventually learn light from dark, right from wrong, and he would fight for what's right.

This was all easier said than done of course…

* * *

**What now?? Review to find out! )**


	6. A Chance to Change

_A/NYay! An update for everyone! Thanks to those that have reviewed, read, and added to their favorites! I still don't own Harry Potter_

After he had thanked Hermione in the hall that day he had tirelessly tried to step up his game in their battle of wits and insults but he had been unable to come up with

anything hurtful to say and eventually he had given up and just ignored her. Well…he pretended to ignore her.

What she didn't know was that she had intrigued him more than anyone he had ever met. The concept of compassion and the differences between right and wrong had

been foreign to Draco, so he watched her. He studied her and her friends and the way they interacted with everyone. Hermione never had a rude word to say to anyone

(except to him of course). She helped first years that were lost in the halls. She didn't make fun of Weasley, even when he did something completely idiotic. She greeted those

around her with a smile. He couldn't imagine walking into the common room and smiling at Crabbe and Goyle, and the thought of greeting Parkinson or Bulstrode with a hug

made him sick to his stomach. But he found himself smiling when he watched her. Like her damn happiness rubbed off on him.

The rest of the year went by entirely too fast for Draco and before he knew it the time had come for him to carry out his assignment. His mind was racing all evening trying to figure out how he was going to get out of murdering his headmaster yet he had not come up with anything. Especially with annoying thoughts of Hermione and her friends popping into his head from time to time.

He wondered how it would affect Hermione and it didn't seem a fitting way to repay her kindness towards him. If he went through with this she would wish she had let

him die, and that thought bothered him. Despite what people thought of him, he wasn't completely heartless, well, at least he didn't think he was anymore.

Studying Hermione had taught him a lot and he had begun listening to his heart and felt that he was learning that there was more to life than following his father to the "dark

side" and that he wanted a chance to prove he was no longer just another follower of the Dark Lord, but a changed man.

Tonight was that chance; he just didn't know how he was going to prove he was no longer his father's son.

When Draco faced Dumbledore that night below the Astronomy Tower it was like Dumbledore could read his mind. The things he said to him, it was like Dumbledore

knew exactly what was in Draco's heart and Draco suddenly realized why so many looked up to this old man. Draco lowered his wand and was going to walk away from it all,

and from that point on everything became a blur. Snape had appeared out of nowhere, killed Dumbledore and quickly grabbed Draco and they disappeared into the night.

Draco could only remember shouting "You killed him!" "Why did you do that?!" repeatedly, but never getting an answer.

The next morning Draco awoke to find that he was in the Shrieking Shack and Snape was pacing back and forth. Draco looked up at his Head of House not knowing what

to say. Snape caught his stare; "I did it for your own good. If Dumbledore had lived past last night things would not have been safe for either of us. As it is you are not

welcomed home this summer. Your father is ashamed of you and has disowned you. The Dark Lord is upset with you but feels that you are just too young to have been able

to handle the pressure of that task so he is assigning you a new one shortly."

Draco continued to stare at Snape, "But…I don't want a new task. I don't want to do this anymore. I don't want to join." He thought this was not a good idea to tell Severus

Snape these things but at the same time he felt that Snape was the only one he could trust with this information at the moment.

For a second Snape looked taken aback but then he smiled down at the youngest Malfoy. "I'm proud of your decision Draco, I'm glad that you are able to think for

yourself and not follow the orders of other, weaker, men."

Draco was stunned that Snape was complimenting him but he was completely shocked at what he said next.

"When word gets out of your intentions to turn your back on your family legacy there will be many Death Eaters out for your head. I can offer you a safe place for the summer. With the Order of the Phoenix."

Draco's mouth dropped. He had heard his father refer to "The Order" many times and he knew who was involved with it. "I thought you were a spy in the Order?" Draco asked

"I am in the Order, but only as a spy _for_ them. I give The Dark Lord misleading information but I am true to the Order."

Draco was still trying to process this information when Snape grabbed his hand and apparated down the street from number 12 Grimmauld Place.

Draco wasn't that impressed with its magical hiding spot. He had seen much more impressive magic but when he entered the house; he could feel the magic in the air.

While Snape went in search of someone, Draco explored and he studied the tapestry hanging on the wall. He soon realized that this house belonged to the Black family.

He almost fainted when he realized that Sirius Black was a relative of his and that so many dark wizards had come from this family, yet here this house was, hosting a group

of witches and wizards fighting to overthrow everything this family had stood for.

Draco tuned around when he heard footsteps, and came face to face with Molly Weasley. He had to fight his first instinct to grimace at her. Instead he just stared at her with wide eyes.

Mrs. Weasley was unsure of how to treat the Malfoy boy so she simply nodded her head at him and said, "Welcome to Grimmauld Place Draco. Severus has told me you'll be staying here with us this summer."

Draco was also unsure of how to interact with Mrs. Weasley so he simply nodded.

"Well then, let me show you your room."

Days passed and Draco was going out of his mind with boredom. He had been somewhat amused by the ugly house elf they called Kreacher for a while, but it didn't last

long. He usually spent his days memorizing the family tree, after all it was his family, but he was shocked to discover that he was distantly related to Molly Weasley through

some marriage. He spent the rest of his time avoiding people around the house. The only people that were ever there were members of the Weasley family and random

wizards from the Ministry.

One person he did find a friend in however was Tonks. She had given him a warm greeting and he was amused by her transformations. She was pretty much the only person he had spoken more than a sentence to since he had arrived.

Today however was the most bored he had ever been. Tonks was not around and there was no one for him to avoid because they were all at Hogwarts for Dumbledore's funeral service.

Draco felt sadness creep over him at the thought of his fallen headmaster as his mind rushed back to the night he died. He felt so ashamed at his actions and he still blamed

himself for Dumbledore's death.

Draco headed down to the kitchen to make himself some lunch and hopefully distract himself from his thoughts but as he was passing the front door, it opened and a group of

chattering people came through the door. As soon as the group got a glance at who stood in front of them though the conversation quickly stopped.

"Oh…it's you, Mum warned us you would be here," Ron said in a very rude tone.

"Ronald, be nice to our guest" Mrs. Weasley said as she moved past Ron, Harry, and Hermione. "Are you hungry dears? I'll fix lunch for us."

Lunch was a quiet affair with Harry pushing his food around on his plate, Hermione eating quietly, not bothering to look up at anyone but Ginny to exchange glances every

once and awhile, Ron was shooting Malfoy dirty looks which Malfoy was giving right back.

Harry excused himself shortly after sitting down and Hermione and Ron soon followed. Ginny got up to follow the trio "just like a lost puppy" thought Draco, but Mrs. Weasley

made her sit back down and finish her lunch.

Draco finished eating and headed upstairs to his room. While he was walking down the hallway he could hear his three classmates behind one of the doors. He slowed

down and could hear Weasley, "What if he's a traitor! Mum just let him in and now what happens when he hands us over to You Know Who?!"

"Ron! Calm down," Draco could hear Hermione say, "Do you honestly think your parents and the rest of the order would let him stay here if they thought he was a spy?"

"but-"

"She's right Ron" Harry chimed in, "He may have been there that night, but he's not the one that killed Dumbledore. I could see it in his face, he was never going to go through with it."

Ron grunted and Draco could hear him walking towards the door. He quickly tried to get out of the way but Ron opened the door and almost walked into Malfoy

"Watch it" Ron growled

Draco just stepped aside and said nothing as he glanced into the room and locked eyes with Hermione. For some reason Draco felt his heart skip a beat as Hermione gave him a sort of half-smile that told him she thought Ron was being a prat.

Draco almost smiled back, but instead he turned and finished the walk down the hall to his room.

The next morning Draco was awakened by a girl's scream coming from the hallway. He jumped out of bed and raced into the hall to see what was going on and what he found was not what he expected.

"Fred! George! I could kill you! Just because you can do magic now that you're of age doesn't mean you have to rub it in our faces and just pop out of nowhere and give me a heart attack!" Hermione scolded as she playfully smacked them on the arm.

Draco grinned at the scene before him and was suddenly struck by an idea. He snuck up behind Hermione while she was still trying to beat up on the twins and grabbed her hips while he said, "Boo!" right in her ear. Hermione nearly jumped out of her skin for the second time in the last five minutes and proceeded to give the mystery person a good beat down.

"Ow! Ow! Granger cool it! I was just joking!" Hermione stopped and looked wide-eyed at Draco

"Malfoy" she said

"Granger" Draco replied, rubbing his shoulder where she had punched him

He should have remembered that she had a wicked punch and was a lot stronger than she looked.

"Sorry," she said, "Did I hurt you?"

"No, I'm alright, but I know better than to sneak up on you again" He said

Hermione smiled

"Oy Malfoy!" Draco looked up at who had said his name. He couldn't tell if it was Fred or George but then the other one spoke, "Mum told us we have to be nice to you so if you want, we are playing quidditch later, you can join if you like."

"Ok…I guess I'll play then" Draco replied uncertainly. He didn't like being patronized but he hadn't been on his broomstick in weeks so a game of quidditch would be fun, even if it was with the Weasleys and Potter.


End file.
